Archive for the ‘Dance and Drama’ Category

Such talent! Yesterday’s annual Talent Show was a glorious event! As proud as I am of this year’s wonderful participants, I am even more pleased with our Kindergarten through Eighth Grade audience, with their smiles and hands ready to clap throughout the two-hour event!
From concert-level piano performances to Knock-Knock jokes, our children entertained and delighted us as they shared their many talents.
Innovative technology was put to use by Ms. Shirley Omori, enabling families to view the Talent Show via “Instagram Live.” We heard from parents, a former teacher in Texas, and a former student attending school in Switzerland – all watching our amazing Talent Show LIVE!

Once again, our youngest students amazed us with their recent performance at our All-School Assembly on Dads & Granddads Day.
So let’s take a peek behind the scenes and see how our talented faculty plan and rehearse for this amazing event. At Peninsula Heritage, this is never a cookie-cutter approach. Rather, the songs and the choreography are selected to highlight our students’ particular likes and abilities.
Way back in December, Miss Deborah Wilcox, our Dance and Drama teacher, came to the Primary Center and began leading movement games with the children; the children learned to know and trust Miss Deb, and vice versa. She taught the students the songs and provided the teachers with the written words and a CD of the songs, so the teachers could incorporate these in the course of a day’s activities.
For the speaking parts, each child shared with one of her teachers what things they like about their dad. These thoughts were transcribed onto strips of paper, and during rehearsals in the classroom, each child stepped to a pretend microphone and spoke his part.
“These children are like sponges!” remarked teacher Christy Burden. “Within a short time, each child knew everyone else’s part!”
For their costumes, the children brought in several of their favorite t-shirts, and working with Miss Deb, the best shirt was chosen for the performance.
Now it was time to bring it all together, still in the classroom in order to build the children’s confidence. With tape strips on the floor to aid the students in their dance and speaking positions, they rehearsed and became comfortable with the flow of the performance. Only then did they go out into the Amphitheater for their final rehearsals. This approach is designed to build self-assurance at each level of the performing process.
We all saw their fabulous performance! The children were enthusiastic and projected energy and happiness as they sang, danced, and spoke their parts – a wonderful example of our extraordinary Performing Arts program AND our talented students!

“At last week’s Mothers’ Day Assembly, The Fourth Graders personified the cool jazz of ‘Bye, Bye, Blackbird,’” relates Ms. Deb Wilcox, PHS Theater Arts Teacher. “With their black bowler hats, black shirts, and black pants, they easily embodied the different rhythm and tempo changes of the piece, utilizing their acting, singing, and dancing skills. In addition, their ‘Mom-a-Logs’ were so truthful and were spoken right from their hearts.”
“Four members of our Sixth Grade Audio/Tech Elective were at the soundboard for this assembly,” adds Mr. Charley Miller, PHS Music Teacher. “These students are learning the basics of operating the speakers and microphones in our sound system during our weekly class, and when they function as a technical crew during our assemblies, their learning is greatly enhanced.”
Another unique feature of last week’s assembly was a sneak peek at the Second Graders’ upcoming Shakespeare comedy, “Midsummer Night’s Dream,”! Mark your calendars for Thursday, May 26th at 1:30 pm for what is sure to be an impressive performance in our Amphitheater by these young thespians.

“This is educational theater at its best!” explains Fifth Grade teacher Ms. Kimarie Lynn, producer and director of this annual PHS show. “The children sing, dance, and act out important moments in early American history. When they return to PHS years later, they share with us instances in their high school history classes when they were one of the very few who remembered key points in the history of this country!”
Thanks go to our fantastic Fifth Grade students for developing and sharing their talents in this theatrical production, as well as to the Kindergarten and Second Grade classes that will be featured in this year’s play. We also thank the parents of our student performers who have made the necessary changes in their schedules to accommodate the students’ rehearsals and also providing snacks for the young thespians.
Many of our very talented PHS faculty and staff assist in presenting this fabulous event. Kudos to Language Arts Enrichment Teacher, Kat Banales, for enhancing this often-humorous script to reflect and include current American culture at an age-appropriate level as well as the crucial role of many women in the Revolutionary War period.
The show’s inventive choreography is the creation of our own Dance and Drama Teacher, Deb Wilcox. Music is under the direction of Music Teacher Charley Miller, and Fifth Grade’s Teacher Support, Terry Metzenbaum, oversees costumes, makeup, and props. Zach Lorenz works with the boys in battle scenes and in the famous “Crossing of the Delaware,” and Seventh Grade Teacher Liz Lomeli designs and produces the Playbill.
Be sure to attend this amazing event suitable for all ages! Purchase your tickets now in the School Office, at the Norris Theatre Box Office, or online at www.norristheatre.org (under “Buy Tickets”). See you there!

It was truly an honor to be chosen as PHS’s Educator of the Year for 2015! This past Wednesday evening I was privileged to be part of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Rotary Club’s “Educator of the Year” reception, dinner, and program at the PV Golf Club. The Palos Verdes community is so generous and is very aware of the value of educators in the lives of its children. As one speaker at this event stated, “Our children will, sooner than we may imagine, be a part of our adult world!”
The venue of the Club was gorgeous, the food was delicious, and the sunflower centerpieces made us smile. It was interesting to hear from the other ten educators honored. They spoke from their hearts about their love for teaching, their decision to be part of this profession, and the humorous and sometimes sad anecdotes they recalled from their years in either public or private schools.
Mrs. Cailler introduced me, and I had the honor of sharing with the assembled audience our PHS mission statement and a few details about our Character Qualities assemblies, our Performing Arts department, and our Fifth Grade “History Comes Alive!” production on the stage of the Norris Theatre.
We Honorees were taken aback by the generosity of the gifts we received – the Seiko carriage clock, the Educator of the Year pin, the certificate for a day at Terranea Spa, and the eight, hand-lettered, personalized, congratulatory certificates from local government officials and entities.
I am so grateful for all of the parents, students, staff, administrators, Trustees, and Mrs. Cailler – for our entire PHS family! Thank you so much!

We are proud to announce that our Educator of the Year for 2015-2016 at PHS is Ms. Deb Wilcox! As you all know, Miss Deb is our Theater Arts teacher, sharing her enormous talent and experience with our students in their Assembly presentations, the year-end Musical, our fabulous Fifth Grade Play, and in so many other ways.
“It is a thrill and an honor to receive this recognition by my colleagues and peers,” remarks Miss Deb. “I love coming to school each and every day to work with our talented, bright, caring students here at PHS. They are creative, full of enthusiasm, and have a love for the performing arts.”
Ms. Wilcox will be honored along with ten other outstanding educators from PV’s public and private schools at the annual Educator of the Year event. This very special occasion is presented by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Rotary at the PV Golf Club on Wednesday evening, November 4, 2015. A number of Miss Deb’s fellow teachers, administrators, friends, and family will be sharing the evening’s reception, dinner, and program with our esteemed Miss Deb!

You may have seen “History Comes Alive!” in prior years, but we know that this Fifth Grade production never stays the same! Be sure and join us this year to experience all the marvelous and humorous changes that have so skillfully been woven into this year’s musical! Tickets are on sale in our School Office until 3:00 pm this Monday, March 9th. (For the following three days, up to curtain time at 6:00 pm on Thursday, March 12, tickets will be available at the Norris Theatre Box Office.) We look forward to joining with you on Thursday evening to enjoy the marvelous talents of our Fifth Graders – and to pleasantly review some of our amazing American history!